


A Cold, a Crush, and Chamomile

by starchitect



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles
Genre: Blankets, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute, Fluff, Gift Fic, M/M, No Spoilers, Pining, Pre-Canon, Rain, Reyn is a good bro and takes care of him, Reyn is oblivious, SHULK BEING A USELESS ROMANTIC, Secret Crush, Shulk is a dumbass and caught a cold from sitting in the rain for too long, Sickfic, Tea, because we're switching it up in here, he pines so hard it puts pine trees to shame, sort of pre-relationship if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:07:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21851926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starchitect/pseuds/starchitect
Summary: His next observation is that his clothes are different. They’re far too big on his thin frame, which means they aren’t his own. Which can only mean Reyn must have swapped his clothes while he was passed out.Which means…Okay, Shulk and Reyn are close. Closer than close. They know everything about each other. And that meanseverything.But having your best friend see you naked and having your best friend see you naked when you have a crush on them that’sbigger than the Bionis itselfare two very,very.Different. Things.Shulk wants to scream.
Relationships: Reyn/Shulk (Xenoblade Chronicles)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 119





	A Cold, a Crush, and Chamomile

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ohmygoshwhatascream](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmygoshwhatascream/gifts).



> Wrote this as a Christmas gift for my pal Scream who I love very much
> 
> Also I've been wanting to write something for XC1 for a while but never had any good ideas until now I guess
> 
> Enjoy some dumb fluff :V

It isn’t until he sneezes that Shulk realizes how long he’s been standing out in the rain. He left the Colony about...an hour ago? Maybe longer? It hasn’t been raining for _that_ long, so he supposes it’s fine if he stays out here. The rain is coming down pretty hard, but he doesn’t mind. Shulk has been out in the scrapyard in bad weather before, so it’s not like he isn’t used to it.

He inspects a large chunk of sharp metal. If his research is correct, it looks like part of a fortress unit. An M100 or something, he doesn’t quite remember. But what he _does_ know is that fortress units have the strongest armour, so this would be perfect for a sturdy weapon. A sword, maybe? Something Dunban might be able to use...

He looks closer—it’s a little rusty, but nothing he can’t fix. He places it in the wooden box behind him.

As he does this, Shulk hears panicked shouting in the distance. As the voice gets closer, he recognizes his name on their tongue, and it sounds like...Reyn, of all people. He wonders what could possibly have his friend so anxious.

“Shulk!” Reyn calls frantically, sprinting towards the blond with an umbrella. Shulk raises an eyebrow.

After a moment, the soldier finally stops in front of him and bends over to catch his breath. He moves his hair away from his face.

“Shulk,” he says again, still out of breath, and despite the odd circumstances, Shulk can’t help but focus on the way Reyn says his name, cheeks flushed and breathless. It’s cute.

_(He wishes these were different circumstances.)_

“What on Bionis are you _doing_ out here?!” Reyn demands, yanking him from his thoughts. “You’re gonna catch a cold!”

Shulk blinks. “What do you mean? I’ve only been gone for an hour.”

“An hour?” Reyn echoes. “Try _three!”_

“Huh?”

“Look at you, you’re completely soaked!” Reyn frets, kneeling down and holding Shulk by the shoulders. “Your skin’s turning blue!”

The mechanic looks down at his hands. Come to think of it, his fingers are going numb. He must have lost track of time. Whoops.

“Come on, let’s get you back to the colony,” the redhead says, pulling Shulk to his feet and holding his umbrella over both of them.

Shulk glances at the box of scraps he’s been collecting. He frowns.

“But what about—”

“Forget it, man. We’ll come back later when it ain’t pouring. I don’t think it’s gonna go anywhere.”

“But—”

“Come on, Shulk,” Reyn insists as he begins walking. “You’ll survive a few hours without your precious scrap metal. Now let’s go.”

Shulk nods, though reluctantly, but his mood instantly shifts when Reyn puts an arm around his shoulder and holds him close while they walk. His breath hitches and his cheeks turn red, and he prays to Bionis that his friend doesn’t notice. For a while, the walk back to the colony is silent, and Shulk isn’t sure if that’s a good thing because he’s pretty sure his heartbeat could be heard from a mile away by this point.

Eventually, they begin to near the colony entrance, and the silence is broken when Reyn clears his throat. He squeezes Shulk’s shoulder.

“Me and Fiora were worried sick, you know,” he says, a disappointed scowl twisting his lips. “You better not do anything stupid like that again.”

“Sorry, Reyn,” Shulk mutters, his embarrassment now mixed with shame and guilt. “I didn’t mean to wander off for so long.”

Another shoulder squeeze. “Well, the good news is you’re okay. That’s all I’m worried about.”

Shulk can’t help the way his heart flutters at that. Usually it’s frustrating when Reyn or Fiora fusses over him for being reckless or unhealthy, but right now it’s...kinda nice, actually. Shulk doesn’t really mind Reyn taking care of him like this. Especially if it means Reyn will share his umbrella with him and hold him close while doing so.

They continue on, and Shulk sneezes and starts to shiver from the cold. His muscles are weak, so he leans on Reyn for support despite his pounding heart, and the soldier stops them when he almost trips.

“Hey, Shulk, you alright?”

Shulk blinks slowly. His head suddenly feels light and his body is heavy. Reyn tightens his hold.

“Hey,” he repeats, concern seeping into his voice. “Stay with me, man. We’re almost back to the colony.”

“Hmm…” Shulk mumbles, completely sinking into Reyn’s embrace. His strength is diminishing by the second.

“‘M okay,” he says, his speech slurring. “‘S not that bad…”

Reyn frowns and scoffs in disbelief. Then, without another word, he hoists the blond into his arms as if he weighs no more than a feather. Shulk gasps softly at the sudden movement, but is too weak and tired to protest. In any other situation, he would have been embarrassed, but in this case, he’s content to bury his face into Reyn’s chest and soak up whatever warmth he can until they reach the colony. A part of him wishes Reyn were carrying him for different, more romantic reasons, but for now, he’s willing to take what he can get.

When Shulk next opens his eyes, he’s no longer in Reyn’s strong arms, but rather bundled up with multiple blankets on someone’s couch. A quick look at the various drivers and other heavy weapons scattered about tells him that he’s in Reyn’s house, but strangely, his best friend is nowhere to be seen.

His next observation is that his clothes are different. They’re far too big on his thin frame, which means they aren’t his own. Which can only mean Reyn must have swapped his clothes while he was passed out.

Which means…

Okay, Shulk and Reyn are close. Closer than close. They know everything about each other. And that means _everything._ But having your best friend see you naked and having your best friend see you naked when you have a crush on them that’s _bigger than the Bionis itself_ are two very, _very._ Different. Things.

Shulk wants to scream.

“Ah, you’re awake,” comes Reyn’s voice from somewhere deeper in the house. “‘Bout time, too. I’m making tea.”

Shulk nearly chokes on air, face still a deep red.

“Reyn,” he breathes, before coughing violently because his throat is so dry. He opens his mouth to try again, but no words come out. He panics.

“I’m... _so_ sorry,” he eventually forces out. “I didn’t mean to cause you so much trouble. I just lost track of time, I’m sorry, I should probably go—”

“No,” the redhead interjects, appearing from the kitchen. “You’re sick, which means you’re gonna stay here with me so I can take care of you. And I won’t take no for an answer.”

“But—”

“Nope,” Reyn cuts him off, crossing his arms. “I’m your best friend, Shulk. It’s my job to look after you, so you’re stuck here until you’re feeling better. Got it?”

Shulk doesn’t answer, which Reyn seems to accept, since he disappears back into the kitchen.

“So, what happened?” Shulk finally asks, after an agonizingly long stretch of silence.

“Nearly collapsed on the way here, that’s what. You passed out and I had to carry you home. It was way too easy, too. Can’t believe how light you are…”

Shulk’s face heats up at that. The memory is coming back to him now. How could he be so stupid?

“Dickson dropped by earlier,” Reyn continues. A kettle starts to whistle from the kitchen. “Said to give you some medicine when you woke up and make sure you’re hydrated. And Fiora made you some cool potato soup, hope you don’t mind.”

Shulk frowns. “That’s fine,” he lies. He really doesn’t like cool potato, but Fiora made it, so he can’t exactly refuse.

After a moment, Reyn appears from the kitchen with a steaming bowl. He carefully places it on the small table next to the couch.

“Eat this, then take the medicine.” He gestures to a glass of water with two pills on a napkin next to it. “Fiora said it should help regulate your body heat. That fever of yours was _mad,_ by the way. Any longer in the rain and I think you would have died, or something.”

“Sorry. Again,” Shulk mutters, hanging his head in shame.

Reyn waves his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it, Shulk. Just eat your soup for now, okay?”

“...Okay.”

With that, Reyn returns to the kitchen to tend to the screaming kettle, leaving Shulk to his soup and his thoughts. How the hell is Reyn so _perfect?_ All Shulk did was stay out in the rain for too many hours, and there’s Reyn, running all the way out to the scrapyard to find him, walking— well, _carrying_ him back to the colony, doing his best to take care of him, making him _tea,_ Shulk didn’t even know Reyn could do that, and he feels like he doesn’t deserve any of this. He doesn’t deserve _Reyn,_ who’s literally the best friend he’s ever had, who’s always looked out for him, and who always seems to know how to help him when something goes wrong.

There’s also the fact that he’s _unfairly_ attractive, with those big strong arms, and those sweet, toned _abs,_ dear sweet _Bionis_ that has to be illegal. And Shulk can’t get enough of Reyn’s freckles, scattered all along his skin like the stars in the night sky. There are times when he wishes he could trace them with his finger, mapping out constellation after constellation, and he could run his fingers through fiery red hair.

There are times when…

“Shulk?”

Shulk snaps out of his trance and looks up to see Reyn, with one mug in each hand and his head tilted to the side. He blinks.

“Your soup’s gonna get cold, you know,” Reyn comments. “Fiora won’t be happy if you don’t eat it.”

“Oh— Er, r-right.”

He tastes a spoonful. Somehow, it’s not terribly disgusting like most vegetable-based dishes are. Still, it’s far from enjoyable. Shulk forces himself to keep a straight face.

“Well?” Reyn asks, setting one cup of tea next to the glass of water. “What do you think?”

Shulk swallows. “It’s good,” he lies, and a part of him hates how easily he can say that. The other part of him keeps eating so he doesn’t have to talk.

“Perfect,” his friend replies, taking a seat next to him and curling up with an extra blanket. “I’ll make sure to tell Fiora.”

The mechanic hums, and silence calmly settles over them like nightfall. Shulk eats the rest of his soup without a word, then takes the medicine as Reyn instructed. By the time he finally gets to his tea, it’s cold, and Reyn has already finished his and is snoring softly beside him. With a smile, he blushes and drinks it anyway, knowing it was Reyn who made it for him.

Despite the temperature, it’s nothing short of amazing. It tastes like...sweet chamomile. Reyn may know more about cooking than he lets on.

He takes another sip. There’s a bit of honey, with—another sip—the smallest hint of lemon. Shulk has never had herbal tea like this before. He wonders how Reyn learned how to make it.

Beside him, Reyn shifts in his sleep, his body slowly leaning until his head falls on Shulk’s shoulder. Shulk turns red at the contact, but doesn’t move. Instead, he continues to drink his cold chamomile in silence, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. When he finally finishes his tea, his eyelids are heavy like the oversized clothes he wears, and Shulk uses the last of his energy to set the empty mug on the side table.

Hesitantly, he rests his head on the soldier’s own before allowing his eyes to fall shut. Hopefully Reyn won’t mind if he falls asleep like this.

 _Reyn._ Perfect, perfect Reyn. Reyn who’s been looking out for him since he can remember, Reyn who knows him better than anyone, Reyn who threw away _everything_ just to make sure he was okay and ran out in the pouring rain just to fetch him.

Reyn who’s the best thing that ever happened to him. Shulk loves him so much he can’t even describe it.

“Reyn,” he whispers fondly, a smile crossing his face. His breathing deepens.

“Thank you.”

His smile lingers, even after his muscles relax, and he’s never felt more safe than right now, curled up on Reyn’s couch, wrapped in Reyn’s various blankets, wearing Reyn’s clothes (they smell like him), with Reyn right next to him, and just surrounded by _Reyn._ Surrounded by Reyn and his warmth, and his kindness, and Shulk doesn’t regret staying out in the rain one bit.

It was worth it for this.

**Author's Note:**

> broke: romantically oblivious Shulk
> 
> woke: USELESS ROMANTIC SHULK


End file.
